Conventionally, Type 1 diabetes has been treated with daily insulin injections. However, this inevitably results in insulin levels that do not match the normal and rapid changes in blood glucose which occur in a patient throughout the day. On the one hand, insufficient insulin and high glucose levels lead to immediate symptoms and contribute to long-term complications. On the other hand, too much insulin may result in too little blood sugar leading to loss of consciousness and convulsions. As an alternative to injections, insulin pump therapy is intended to mimic the normal physiology of the healthy pancreas. Unlike multiple daily insulin injections, an insulin pump is able to provide a constant background infusion of insulin that can be adjusted according to individual need, compensating for daily activity and exercise routines. The pump may also be programmed to deliver bolus doses of insulin to address the big glucose swings in the blood that would otherwise result from eating and drinking. By mimicking the natural physiology of the pancreas, insulin pump therapy aims to maintain a constantly normal blood glucose level; avoiding the highs that are associated with meals or the lows that come from too much insulin.
The pump may be controlled wirelessly by a handset device. The handset device may record medical data regarding the patient, and it is desirable that the medical data be made available (synchronised to) a server, so that it can be accessed remotely by medical staff (for diagnostic purposes) and the service operator (to monitor device performance). Given the sensitivity of medical data, and regulatory constraints on where that data may be stored, and who may be provided with access to it, there are a number of unique problems associated with medical information acquired at the handset being communicated to a remote server.